4 • FROMTHEEDITOR
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Cause for alarm?
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WITH FIRE DOOR SAFETY Week taking place at the end of September and National Home Security Month drawing a big red ring around the month of October, Autumn is a busy season for security specialists. As the editor of an industry magazine, this has made the Sep / Oct issue a simple one to put together with masses of content from across the sector discussing all the latest products available when it comes to the design and development of the hardware – and increasingly the software – that keeps us safe and secure in our homes and when we’ re out and about. That doesn’ t mean it’ s been an‘ easy read’ as a consumer and homeowner, however, as statements such as fire doors being‘ a significant area of neglect’,‘ fire door safety ignored’, and‘ very few security guarantees standing up to scrutiny’, hardly inspiring confidence.
‘ a busy season for security specialists’
But, as someone who could sit and worry at night that the sun isn’ t going to come up the next morning, here’ s why I’ m not worried... A year ago, I would’ ve read the dramatic statements above and not only panicked about leaving the house, but have been scared to stay in too! Now, when I read them in this magazine, I see it as part of a bigger picture. Very often in the media we see only the problems of our personal safety and the security of a property being addressed, but now I am also privileged to get an insight into everyone who is trying to solve these problems too.
And, when it comes to fire safety and home security, the lengths that I can see people are going to, to make our homes safer, our schools, offices, and hospitals safer,( with all the different aspects that those different areas require, also all being identified and addressed accordingly), I hope that other people outside the industry can also appreciate the effort that goes into the locksmith industry, at every level – from the designers‘ at the drawing board’, to those who fight for better accreditation and certification of products, from something as simple as a bike lock that protects your child’ s bicycle while they’ re in school from an opportunist thief to a smart home system that lets you check that the dog’ s been walked while you’ re away for the day, from the door access on the care home where a family member is staying, to the fire door closers at a university halls of residence, as a‘ normal’ person these are the things that make me feel safer every day.
Gemma, Editor
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
SECURITY GUARANTEES:“ VERY FEW STAND UP TO SCRUTINY”
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WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT crime in the media, and it’ s that awareness of crime that drives perceptions and magnifies our fear.
Homeowners feel vulnerable when they hear that some police forces have stopped investigating burglaries because they say they don’ t have the time or budget to investigate them, and the chances of bringing someone to book are very low. Homeowners also puzzle over conflicting reports about crime. Depending on the source of statistics, the type of crime, how it’ s recorded, and who is recording it, crime may be going down or going up.
A further problem is that homeowners think they are buying security with their doors and windows, and they expect the locks and hardware to withstand break-ins. They don’ t want the uncertainty of degrees of protection either: they want to be protected, full stop. And they look for the peace of mind and reassurance that comes from secure products that are backed by a solid and effective manufacturer’ s guarantee.
But once you start looking at guarantees from the homeowner’ s perspective, few stand up to scrutiny. Many are vague or buried under pages of small print and slippery legalese, so it’ s hard to see what is really guaranteed. Some are worded with what looks suspiciously like get-out conditions and clauses – so they’ re hard to claim against. Very few inspire confidence. Very few give installers the backing they need to sell with confidence.
VBH took the view that if the products perform as promised, as we know they do, the cost of homeowners claiming against you will be small so why not give homeowners the real thing? Why not give installers a strong and effective guarantee in plain English that‘ does what it says on the tin’; one that gives homeowners the reassurance they want and gives installers a powerful selling tool?
That’ s why we produced the Q-secure guarantee. This isn’ t the place to list what it covers, but it’ s a very different kind of guarantee that’ s good for both homeowners and installers. We think if more in the industry followed our lead on clear, strong guarantees it would reassure homeowners and help to improve the reputation of the industry.
Yours sincerely Simon Monks Managing Director, VBH( GB) www. qsecure. co. uk
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | SEP / OCT 2018